December 27, 2023 2:29 am
(WPXI) – Pennsylvania State Police say a vehicle reported stolen in 2008 was just found in a river in Fayette County. In a release, PSP says on Christmas Eve two fishermen near the Point Marion boat launch on the Monongahela River noticed the outline of a car in the water on their fishfinder. The white four-door sedan was recovered from the river Tuesday evening by the Murrysville Medic One Dive Team. Investigators located the vehicle’s identification number and determined it was reported stolen to state police in Uniontown in 2008. PSP says no signs of foul play were found, but the case remains under investigation.
December 26, 2023 5:13 pm
(AP) – Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday, according to the National Retail Federation. Most will be redeemed. But many gift cards wind up forgotten or unused. In a July survey, Bankrate found that 47% of U.S. adults had at least one unused gift card worth an average of $187. That’s a total of $23 billion in unspent money. Under federal law, gift cards can’t expire for five years after they’re purchased. But experts say it’s wise to use them sooner than that, since inflation and inactivity fees can eat away at their value.
December 26, 2023 4:58 pm
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy who left on a flight to visit his grandmother was put on the wrong plane. When the grandmother, Maria Ramos, showed up on Thursday at the airport in Fort Myers, Florida, to greet her grandson who was flying for the first time from Philadelphia, she was told he wasn’t on the Spirit Airlines flight. She then got a call from her grandson from the airport in Orlando, telling her that he had landed. In a statement, Spirit Airlines said the boy was under the supervision of an employee the entire time. The airline has apologized.
December 26, 2023 5:06 am
LONDON (AP) — Britain is one of the world’s oldest democracies, but some worry that essential rights and freedoms are under threat. They point to restrictions on protest imposed by the Conservative government that have seen environmental activists jailed for peaceful but disruptive actions. The government says it is stopping extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say it is an example of how Britons’ civil rights are being eroded with too little scrutiny from the country’s elected representatives and not enough protection from the courts. Some say Britain’s unwritten constitution does not offer enough protection from politicians who push the limits of what is allowed.
December 26, 2023 5:05 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian naval ship in Crimea was damaged in an airstrike by Ukrainian forces. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the landing ship Novocherkassk has been hit by plane-launched guided missiles at a base in the city of Feodosia. The ministry said two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack. There was no immediate report of how bad the ship was damaged, but videos circulating on Ukrainian channels showed an extensive fire in the port area.
December 26, 2023 5:04 am
CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas have given cool public receptions to an Egyptian proposal to end their bitter war. But the longstanding enemies on Monday stopped short of rejecting the plan altogether. The Egyptian plan calls for a phased hostage release and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, according to a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment directly on the proposal. But speaking to members of his Likud Party, he said the war is not “close to finished.” Hamas, meanwhile, said it wouldn’t negotiate without an “end to the aggression.”
December 26, 2023 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack. Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was briefed on the attack on Monday and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options.
December 26, 2023 4:58 am
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Two people were injured after falling over an embankment in Washington Township in Fayette County. Rostraver Central Fire Department said they helped Washington Township VFC with the rescue on Johnson Hollow Road. Firefighters said the victims fell over 50 feet. They were flown to Pittsburgh trauma centers to be treated. Their status is unknown at this time. (Photo: Rostraver Central Fire Department)
December 26, 2023 4:55 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Police are investigating an early morning crash on the westbound Parkway where several people were hurt and one person killed. A Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson said the crash involving three separate vehicles happened around 1 a.m. Christmas Day on I-376 westbound at Mile Marker 78, between the PA 8 North/Wilkinsburg and Edgewood/Swissvale exits. The spokesperson said a vehicle became disabled in the left lane of I-376 after overturning. The driver of that car got out and walked to the shoulder with the help of two Good Samaritans who stopped their vehicle to help. At this time, police say a third car started coming around a curve just before the overturned vehicle and was unable to avoid hitting it. After the initial impact, the car hit a guide rail, the driver of the first vehicle, one of the Good Samaritans and the back of the Good Samaritan’s vehicle. The driver of the first vehicle was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified him as Dax Antonio Hernandez-Reyes, 24. The occupants of the other vehicles were also taken to area hospitals for their injuries. Their conditions are currently unknown. PSP’s investigation into the crash is ongoing, with the Forensic Services Unit and Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Specialists on scene.
December 26, 2023 2:30 am
(WPXI) – Two people were killed in a house fire in Washington County early on Christmas eve. The fire started around 5 a.m. along McKean Avenue in Donora. At least three homes were damaged in the fire, and several people were displaced. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco identified one of the victims as Tracy Honabarger, 41. She had become trapped in the home. She was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The second victim has been identified as Clifford Honabarger, 38. James Smith, Tracy Honabarger’s fiancé, was also inside the home at the time but was able to escape. Smith said flames tore through their home as they were all sleeping. He said he thought Tracy was right behind him as he was running out of the house, but she became trapped on the second floor. Around a dozen agencies responded to the fire. The blaze remains under investigation by the Donora Police Department. This is the second fire on McKean Avenue in less than two weeks. On Dec. 14, a fire destroyed an old apartment building blocks away.
